1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a specimen analyzing method and a specimen analyzing apparatus analyzing a specimen such as plasma, serum or urine.
2. Description of the Background Art
In general, a specimen analyzing apparatus optically measuring and analyzing the quantity and the degree of activity of a specific substance contained in a specimen such as plasma, serum or urine is known in the field of clinical tests. Such a specimen analyzing apparatus prepares an analytical sample by adding a reagent to the specimen, and thereafter applies a light of a prescribed wavelength to the analytical sample. A specimen analyzing method obtaining analysis results by analyzing scattered light or transmitted light from the analytical sample is generally employed.
In a specimen with symptoms of hemolysis, chyle or icterus, it may be difficult to perform correct optical measurement. This is for the following reasons: When plasma is employed as the specimen, a hemolytic specimen is reddish due to a large quantity of hemoglobin contained in the specimen, although normal plasma is pale yellow and substantially transparent. And, a chylous specimen is milky due to a large quantity of lipid contained in the specimen. And, an icteric specimen is yellow or yellow-green due to a large quantity of bilirubin contained in the specimen. Thus, when a substance (interference substance) such as hemoglobin, lipid or bilirubin hindering the optical measurement is present in the specimen, a light of a specific wavelength is absorbed or an amount of a change in scattered light is insufficiently obtained, whereby it is difficult to perform correct optical measurement. Particularly in a case of a specimen with remarkable symptoms of hemolysis, chyle and icterus, it is more difficult to perform correct optical measurement, whereby there has been such inconvenience that it is difficult to obtain analysis results. Consequently, there has been such inconvenience that analytical efficiency of the specimen analyzing apparatus may be reduced.
In order to solve the aforementioned inconvenience, therefore, there is generally proposed a specimen test automation system automatically determining the state of a specimen before analyzing the specimen with the specimen analyzing apparatus. Such a specimen test automation system is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 7-280814, for example. The specimen test automation system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 7-280814 has a dispenser dispensing a specimen from a specimen container and an automatic analyzing apparatus analyzing the specimen dispensed by the dispenser, and further measures presence/absence of hemolysis, chyle and icterus (interference substances) in the specimen with a separately provided “hemolysis, chyle and icterus measuring apparatus” before analysis of a serum specimen with the automatic analyzing apparatus and collates the results of the measurement with requested test items for the automatic analyzing apparatus. The system so controls the automatic analyzing apparatus as to analyze only requested test items whose analysis results are not influenced by the interference substances contained in the specimen and not to analyze requested test items whose analysis results are influenced by the interference substances contained in the specimen, on the basis of the results of the collation. When it is determined to perform analysis with the specimen analyzing apparatus, a specimen in a blood collection tube is dispensed into a sample cup for the automatic analyzing apparatus by the dispenser, and the sample cup is transported to the automatic analyzing apparatus. And a reagent is added into the specimen dispensed into the sample cup, thereby analysis of the requested test items whose analysis results are not influenced by the interference substances is performed. When there are no requested test items analyzable in relation to the serum specimen are present as the result of collation, the dispenser is so controlled as not to dispense the serum specimen. Thus, the specimen test automation system according to the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 7-280814 suppresses reduction of the analytical efficiency of the automatic analyzing apparatus.
The aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 7-280814 discloses a structure spectrally measuring the states of hemolysis, chyle and icterus from outside the blood collection tube. However, a bar code label for specifying the specimen is generally stuck on the blood collection tube, and this bar code label may be such a hindrance that it is not possible to correctly measure the interference substances.
On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 6,797,518 discloses a structure measuring interference substances with respect to a specimen remaining on the forward end of a measuring chip sucking the specimen, while U.S. Pat. No. 5,734,468 discloses a structure sucking a specimen with a probe having a needle and a transparent portion and measuring interference substances with the transparent portion of this probe.